Oscar Pistorius Fast Facts

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Updated 1538 GMT (2338 HKT) July 6, 2016

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Photos:'Blade Runner' Oscar Pistorius

South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius shakes hands as he leaves a courtroom in Pretoria, South Africa, on Wednesday, July 6. Pistorius, the first double-amputee runner to compete in the Olympics, was sentenced to six years in prison after he was found guilty of murdering his girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp, in February 2013.

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Photos:'Blade Runner' Oscar Pistorius

Pistorius walks without his prosthetic legs during his sentencing hearing in Pretoria on Wednesday, June 15. His attorney was arguing that he was a vulnerable figure who should receive a lesser sentence for murder.

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Photos:'Blade Runner' Oscar Pistorius

Pistorius arrives outside a courtroom in Pretoria in October 2014. He was initially convicted of culpable homicide and sentenced to five years in prison, but a higher court reversed it to murder after an appeal.

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Photos:'Blade Runner' Oscar Pistorius

A picture taken on January 26, 2013, shows Pistorius and Steenkamp at Melrose Arch in Johannesburg. Pistorius said her shooting death was an accident after he mistook her for an intruder. The prosecution called it a deliberate act after the two had an argument.

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Photos:'Blade Runner' Oscar Pistorius

Pistorius puts his head in his hands during his trial in South Africa in March 2014. Pistorius often showed great emotion as the court went into detail about Steenkamp's death.

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Photos:'Blade Runner' Oscar Pistorius

Pistorius leaves a police station with his face covered in February 2013.

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Photos:'Blade Runner' Oscar Pistorius

Pistorius won gold for the first time at the 2004 Athens Paralympics. He won the 200-meter final and set a new world record. The South African sprinter was called the "Blade Runner" because of his carbon-fiber prosthetic legs.

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Photos:'Blade Runner' Oscar Pistorius

Prosthetic legs stand on the ground as Pistorius coaches children in Manchester, England, in April 2006.

Pistorius poses with his medals from the IPC Athletics World Championships in January 2011. He won three world titles there but lost the 100-meter T44 final to Singleton. It was his first loss in a race over 100 meters since the 2004 Paralympic Games.

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Photos:'Blade Runner' Oscar Pistorius

Pistorius passes the baton to Ofentse Mogawane in a 4x400-meter relay race during the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Daegu, South Korea, in September 2011. Pistorius was the first double-amputee athlete to compete at the World Athletics Championships.

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Photos:'Blade Runner' Oscar Pistorius

Pistorius races in the men's 400 meters during the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

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Photos:'Blade Runner' Oscar Pistorius

Pistorius competes in the London Olympics.

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Photos:'Blade Runner' Oscar Pistorius

Pistorius carries the South African flag during the opening ceremony of the 2012 Paralympics in London.

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Photos:'Blade Runner' Oscar Pistorius

Pistorius competes in a men's 400-meter T44 heat at the 2012 Paralympic Games.

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Photos:'Blade Runner' Oscar Pistorius

Pistorius poses on the podium with his gold medal after winning the men's 400-meter T44 final at the 2012 Paralympic Games.

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Photos:'Blade Runner' Oscar Pistorius

Pistorius receives his honorary doctorate from Strathclyde University in Glasgow, Scotland, in November 2012.

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Here's a look at the life of Oscar Pistorius, the South African double-amputee former Olympic sprinter convicted in the shooting death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

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Remembering the 'Blade Runner's' career

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Other Facts: Born without fibulas in either leg, doctors amputated both legs below the knee at eleven months of age.

Grew up in Pretoria.

Nicknamed "Blade Runner" and "the fastest man on no legs" because of the carbon-fiber prosthetic blades he wears to run track.

Winner of six gold, one silver and one bronze Paralympic medals.

First double-amputee athlete to compete against able-bodied runners in the Olympics.

Timeline:1987-1988 - Both legs are amputated below the knee and fitted with first prosthetics.

June 21, 2003 - Sustains knee injury while playing rugby in high school.

November 2003 - Runs track as part of his rehabilitation program at the Sports Science Institute at the University of Pretoria.

June 2004 - Is given his first pair of carbon fiber J-shaped limbs, with the brand name Flex-Foot Cheetah.

September 2004 - Competes in the Athens Paralympics, winning the gold medal for the 200m and the bronze for the 100m in the T44 class. He sets a Paralympic world record for the 100m.

March 26, 2007 - International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) introduces rule 144.2, which prohibits: (e) Use of any technical device that incorporates springs, wheels or any other element that provides the user with an advantage over another athlete not using such a device.

July 13, 2007 - In Rome, finishes second in the 400m 'B' race against able-bodied athletes. The race is an IAAF test to observe and determine if rule 144.2 (e) is being broken. The results are inconclusive.

November 12-13, 2007 - Completes a series of tests in Cologne, Germany, to evaluate the metabolic differences in amputees and non-amputees and whether or not those differences caused by use of the Flex-Foot Cheetah prosthetics violate rule 144.2(e). The report claims that the prosthetics give Pistorius an advantage over able-bodied competitors, which Pistorius strongly rejects.

January 14, 2008 - Pistorius is banned from competing in all IAAF-sanctioned events, "...running with these prostheses requires a less-important vertical movement associated with a lesser mechanical effort to raise the body, and the energy loss resulting from the use of these prostheses is significantly lower than that resulting from a human ankle joint at a maximal sprint speed." The ruling is based on the evaluation done in Germany in November 2007.

February 13, 2008 - An appeal to the ban is filed with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) by Pistorius through the law firm of Dewey & LeBoeuf.

September 2008 - Wins three gold medals for the 100m, 200m and 400m sprints in the Beijing Paralympics, establishing a new Paralympic record in the 400m.

February 21, 2009 - Sustains major head and facial injuries in a boat accident on the Vaal River near Johannesburg.

September 2009 - Pistorius is arrested and accused of common assault, but the case is thrown out because of a lack of evidence, according to police. The incident involved Pistorius allegedly slamming a door during a party, and a piece of the door falling off and hitting someone.

September 2011 - At the IAAF World Championships in Daegu, South Korea, runs the opening 400m for the 4x400m relay to help South Africa qualify. Pistorius isn't selected to run the final but earns a silver medal for competing in the heats, becoming the first Paralympian to win a world championship medal.

November 2011 - Pistorius tweets a photo of himself at a gun range, and writes that he had "a 96% headshot over 300m from 50 shots! Bam!"

August 4, 2012 - Becomes the first double-amputee runner to compete in the Olympics, coming in eighth place in the 400m semifinal. Pistorius also later runs the anchor leg of the 4x400m relay final where the South African team comes in eighth place.

September 2012 - Wins a silver medal and two gold medals at the London Paralympics. He sets Paralympic records for the 400m and the 4x100m relay.

February 14, 2013 - Pistorius's girlfriend, South African model Reeva Steenkamp, is found shot to death at Oscar Pretorius's Pretoria home. Pistorius is arrested.

February 15, 2013 - Pistorius is officially charged with premeditated murder in the death of Reeva Steenkamp.

February 22, 2013 - Leaves jail after posting a cash bond of 100,000 rand (about $11,200). Another 900,000 rand (about $100,800) is due by March 1. The conditions of Pistorius's bail are that he must avoid his home where the shooting occurred, relinquish his passport and abstain from drinking alcohol.

March 28, 2013 - Judge Bert Bam lifts the travel ban on Pistorius, saying he sees no reason why Pistorius should not be allowed to travel for competition. The ban on drinking alcohol and avoiding his home where the shooting occurred is also lifted.

August 19, 2013 -Is indicted on a premeditated murder charge in the shooting death of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.

March 3, 2014 - The murder trial begins with Pistorius pleading not guilty to one charge of murder and a firearms charge associated with Steenkamp's killing, as well as the two gun indictments unrelated to Steenkamp.

May 20, 2014 - The judge rules that Pistorius must undergo mental health examinations over the next month. The testing was triggered by a psychiatrist's testimony who said that the sprinter has suffered from generalized anxiety disorder since he was an infant, stemming partly from the amputation of both of his lower legs because of a genetic defect.

December 8, 2015 - Is granted bail. Pistorius will be able to leave his uncle's home, where he has been under house confinement, and can travel up to 20 kilometers (12 miles) between the hours of 7 a.m. and noon.